The Ties That Bind
by eyecanread
Summary: Noah is a complex young man of whom we know little of his past. Who are his parents and why do we never see them? Who really taught him how to fight? How was he picked to befriend Rex? Read on to find the answers I came up with.
1. Never Said

**Man Of Action owns Generator Rex, I don't claim any rights and make no money from this.**

**A/N: This will be a group of shorts about the characters I love and they will all vary in length. I hope you enjoy, please give me feedback and your thoughts on my ideas. Thank you! For spoiler sake I guess I should mention that this alludes to things that were made clear in the episode **_**Lockdown**_**.**

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><p><strong>Never Said<strong>

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><p>"You only made that last shot because I got distracted," Rex proclaimed sourly, tucking the basketball under his arm.<p>

They were approaching the front door to Noah's house and the blond stopped with his hand on the knob to glance back at his friend. "Sure Rex. And what distracted you, exactly?" he asked with a grin.

Rex paused for a moment while he thought of an answer. "The light caught off a passing car and I thought it was an explosion!" That would've been a great response if his mouth hadn't been hanging open the entire time he'd been thinking.

The blond suppressed a laugh as they walked into his kitchen. "You want something to drink?"

"Yeah, thanks," Rex said as his friend handed him a bottle of water. They fell into a pleasant silence as they drank.

Rex leaned against the island and looked around the room idly. It was a nice house, small but cozy. Better than living at Providence Headquarters at least. His eyes caught on a small framed picture sitting on an end-table near the couch. In all the times he'd been to Noah's house he'd never noticed it before.

He pushed himself away from the counter to retrieve the photograph. It was a portrait of a woman, she had blue eyes and wavy brown hair. Something about her expression made his heart ache, it was a feeling of homesickness and missing something he couldn't even remember.

He turned back to face Noah who was still standing in the kitchen. "Who is this?" he asked, holding up the picture.

Noah had brought his water up to his lips, but when his eyes locked on the photo he lowered the bottle again without taking a drink. "That's a picture of my mom." His voice was softer than it had been a moment ago, making Rex take a second look at the picture.

"I don't think I've met her. Either of your parents, now that I think about it. You _do_ have parents don't you?" he teased. He glanced up at Noah when he remained silent. His friend was staring at the floor with a sad, distant smile on his lips.

At that moment Rex realized he knew _nothing_ about his best friend's family. Growing up at HQ he had no _real_ concept of a family and over time that became normal to him. He mentally cursed himself that he'd never asked Noah. It must have seemed like he wasn't interested, or worse that because he didn't know who _his_ parents were it would be a painful subject.

Rex looked at his friend then at the picture he still held. "What does she do? I mean, she must do something, she never seems to be here."

Noah remained silent as he joined his friend in the living room. "You better sit," was all he said as he lowered himself into an overstuffed chair across from the couch.

Rex arched a brow but complied. Noah took a deep breath before he started. "Mom is a wonderful, sweet woman."

Rex thought that was an odd opening even with his limited experience in this area. But something in his friend's tone made him hold his tongue.

"She loves me and Dad more than anything." He paused and ran a hand through his shaggy hair. "A couple years ago I came home from school and the garage door was laying in the yard. Mom had turned."

Rex's jaw tightened, he glanced at the picture before observing his friend who'd fallen silent again. "I'm so sorry."

Noah glanced at 'The Cure' but his gaze quickly fell to his feet once more. "It's not your fault, man."

Rex wanted to believe that but his heart burned in his chest knowing that that may not be the case. For a moment he again lamented his memory loss, then the thought came to him that maybe in this case it was a _good_ thing he didn't remember his part in The Event.

Silence fell between the teens again. They'd both seen more in their short lives than anyone should have. Finally Rex couldn't take the silence any longer. "What about your dad?"

A small smile appeared on the blond's face. "Before Mom –left– Dad had always been very devoted to his job. After, well, you know, he threw himself into his work with a renewed passion. Not to say he hasn't been great, because he has, he still tries to make time for me. I don't see him much but he always lets me knows he's watching out for me, and I understand. He told me it would be hard but we'd get through it together. He was right on both counts."

"I'd like to meet him." Rex set the picture down carefully where he'd found it.

Noah smiled genuinely and looked at his friend. "Maybe. Next time he's around we'll see." He stood and brushed some imaginary dust from his clothes. "Now, who's up to getting their butt creamed in Space Paranoids?"

Rex grinned, joining his friend in standing. "In your dreams." He paused, becoming serious again. "Noah, I'm sorry I didn't ask about your parents before. It's not that I don't care it's just..."

Noah silenced him with a wave of his hand. "It's cool, man. I understand. You're not used to dealing with families and junk. I get it." He patted Rex on the shoulder and walked towards his room.

Rex marveled at his friend. It almost made him want to thank White Knight for getting them together.

_Almost_.

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><p><strong>AN: I hope you enjoyed this little musing on Noah's home life. More to come.  
>I will say that I'm not up to date on my Gen Rex episodes, so sorry if they've contradicted my suppositions already. I'm just having fun anyway.<strong>

**Does anyone know where I got the name for the video game they were going off to play? Ten virtual points and a virtual cookie if you know it off the top of your head. ^^**


	2. Respected

**Man Of Action owns Generator Rex, I don't claim any rights and make no money from this.**

**A/N: Continuing with the theme. I hope you enjoy this one as well. And again please give me your feedback and thoughts. Thank you!** **This contains spoilers for the episodes **_**Lockdown**_** and **_**Basic**_**.**

**Sorry for the long wait on this chapter. My laptop, which contained the competed draft, seized up on me and had to go in for repairs. It was gone for almost two months! But it's back now and I didn't lose any information for which I'm thankful. Because this went so long between posts I'm going to post the next chapter right away as a bonus.  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Respected<strong>

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><p>Noah was wandering the halls of the Keep alone. Having been here many times he wasn't apt to get lost, and his association with Rex afforded him greater access than most civilians. Not that he really thought of himself strictly as a civilian now. He'd been on so many missions, caught up in Rex's world, that he had a good bit of experience.<p>

His previous training didn't hurt either. When he told Bobo Haha that he'd taken kick-boxing at the mall once wasn't a total lie, that really did happen. It also wasn't the whole truth. You could say he was "home-schooled" in self defense.

He'd also discovered that in this world you learn, get out of the way, or die. Those last two were not options by his way of thinking.

Rex certainly had an interesting life, and he was happy to be a part of it, despite the circumstances of how they met. Something for which he tried to make it up to his friend on a daily basis. He doesn't take orders from White Knight any more, he's not sure why he ever did.

Noah passed an open doorway, catching the sound of voices inside. He paused when he heard one voice in particular – Captain Callan.

The blond teen changed his direction and joined the tall man who was currently giving instructions to a group of grunts. The young man waited until the others had departed on their assignments before he made his presence known to the officer.

When he approached the Captain smiled at him. "Noah. What're ya doing here, son? I thought you and Rex went out to grab lunch."

Noah smiled back at the man. "Rex was called back early for a meeting so I was just wandering around killin' time."

Callan nodded. "I saw some of the test results from your time at basic training. I was mightily impressed. I hope you'll consider joinin' for real some day."

The teen was surprised but thoroughly pleased that he'd made an impression on this important man. "I was considering it, Sir."

Callan cupped him on the shoulder. "That'd be fine, just fine. Do you have any big plans today?"

Noah shook his head. "Nah, just waitin' for Rex."

The Captain nodded again. Suddenly the alarms went off all over the ship, making Callan glance up and grin. "Well, back to work. See you later?"

Noah nodded as the man began to jog to the doors. "Be careful out there, Captain." The scarred man turned at the last minute to salute him before continuing out the doors. Noah watched him, as soon as he'd disappeared the teen let out the breath he'd been holding.

Callan was one of the most respected officers of Providence. The man constantly put his life on the line to protect others. If there was anyone worthy of respect it was that man, and personally Noah admired him greatly. Secretly he wanted to _be_ Captain Callan when he grew up.

It would be easy too, with his "connections".

Noah went across to the opposite set of doors, at the last minute he turned one last time to look in the direction the Captain had gone. "Be safe, Dad," he whispered. One day he hoped he'd be standing by his side instead of always watching him leave on assignment.

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><p><strong>AN: The _Keep_ is the largest flying vessel Providence has, Rex is often deployed from it. I also noticed that Captain Callan is often in command of it. _Headquarters_, sometimes called _Base_, is where the "petting zoo" and most of the sleeping quarters are, it is not mobile. I only mention this because I was confused for the longest time on what they were calling the Keep.  
>But maybe it was only me that was confused. *shrug*<strong>


	3. Sacrifice and Decision

**Man Of Action owns Generator Rex, I don't claim any rights and make no money from this.**

**A/N: This one is chronologically out of order. I did that because I wanted the surprise to be maintained in the other chapters. As you will see this takes place right before the series started. This also contains spoilers for the episode **_**Lockdown**_**. As always; please give me your feedback and thoughts. Thank you!**

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><p><strong>Sacrifice and Decision<strong>

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><p>Captain Callan has had to make many sacrifices in his life, the loss of his wife being the greatest, so when The White Knight came to him with this proposition it shouldn't have shocked him. But it did.<p>

His son. He was asked to give up his son, or at least that was the way he saw it.

White wanted to integrate Noah into Rex's life, as a way to further influence the headstrong "Secret Weapon". Callan found the whole thing rather distasteful, but unlike White's version of parenting he believed in trusting his child. The Captain felt Noah was old enough to make his own decisions concerning who he hung out with, whether money was involved or not.

Callan pulled up to his house and hopped out of the jeep as soon as it shut off. It had been days, if not a week since he'd been home. Truthfully the _only_ reason he ever stepped foot in this building again was for Noah's sake. He wouldn't abandon his only family, his son.

He used his key on the front door and entered the small house. His wife had loved this place, she'd said it was the perfect size in which to start a family. Twenty years later and he still owned the house but she was gone. A familiar pang of pain wove through his chest.

A door down the hall opened and Noah stepped out of his room. "Captain?" the blond boy asked in a confused tone. The furrow of his brow soon made way to a bright smile at the sight of his father. It wasn't unusual for Callan to show up unannounced, but it was always a pleasant surprise. "I didn't expect to see you today. Is everything okay?" The boy came forward, passing his way into the kitchen.

"I had business in the area so I thought I'd stop in."

Noah turned away smiling to himself. His father never just "stopped in" to see him, there was always another reason. He knew, but he understood. There were too many painful memories tied up in this house.

After the loss of his mother Noah had, at first, been hurt that his father never came home, it was like losing both your parents at the same time. They'd had a blow-up argument about it where Callan had attempted to explain. After Noah cooled down, and had thought about what his father'd said, he'd forgiven him. So now, he let his father come home when _he_ was ready, Noah never pressured him into coming.

Callan broke the hold the entryway appeared to have on him and approach his son in the kitchen. He placed himself at the breakfast bar before he spoke again. "Truthfully son, I have something to ask you," he said in his southern drawl.

Noah's eyes lit up. "That reminds me, I have something awesome to tell you too!"

Callan's mouth turned up in a brief smile at his son's enthusiasm. "You first then."

Noah was fairly bouncing in place. "You will not believe who I got an e-mail from today!" He didn't wait for a reply from the man across from him, instead plowed on. "White Knight, the Head of Providence!" In his exuberance he failed to notice the scowl forming on his father's face. "At first I thought it was a prank, what with the guys at school, but it was a vid-mail and it truly was the big man himself. He asked me if I'd be willing to help the cause, of course I knew that was just a line, but it was an interesting offer."

Callan cleared his throat to catch is son's attention. In the most controlled voice he could manage he spoke. "What do you think about his proposal?" He was furious with White, part of his agreeing to let the head man talk to Noah was that _he'd_ have a chance to talk to him first. White was despicable for going behind his back, he must have sent the message even before Callan had been called to the sterile office. They would have some "words" when he got back to Base.

Noah shrugged. "I'm not sure. It seems like a good opportunity, I really do want to help out."

"What did he say you'll be doing?"

"Nothing dangerous," the young man said, misreading his father's apprehension. "I just have to hang out with this person – I guess he's my age or something – and report back to White Knight."

Callan cocked his eyebrow. "And you'd be alright with that?" He didn't even want to mention how far off the "not dangerous" comment might be.

"I guess so. He just needs a friend."

Callan suspected this from White, the leader had spun a version of the truth to Noah. This was why Callan had wanted to talk to his son first, he knew the mission would be more about controlling Rex than "giving him a friend". "You understand you'll essentially be spying on him, don't you?"

Noah thought about that. "I won't give White anything friendship-related, and maybe I can keep this guy _out _of trouble. It's not a bad set up."

"Will you tell the kid that you work for White?"

He shook his head. "No, White said it would make things too awkward and I agree."

Callan nodded slightly. "To maintain you "undercover" status to Rex we won't be able to acknowledge each other most of the time. Your connection to me would be an obvious tell."

Noah's eyes widened. "I hadn't thought of that."

"Besides, not everyone is happy with the work we do. If someone found out you were my son... Let's just say I have some enemies." A thought came to him. "Is anyone else in the loop about you other than me and White?"

Noah dug into one of his many pockets and pulled out a small notebook. Callan tried to stifle a grin, the boy had taken notes on the video. He wasn't sure how this level of braininess made it into his bloodline, Noah must've gotten it from his mother.

"An Agent Six," he read off. "What kind of name is that?" The young man wrinkled his nose.

Callan smiled and sighed a mental sigh of relief. "Six is a good man. You'll do alright following his lead."

Noah's brows disappeared behind his shaggy bangs, a thought suddenly occurred to him. "I don't get to talk to you at all?"

"I don't think I'll be seeing you much but that reminds me, try not to call me Dad when we do." He grinned and his son returned it. "Are you going to do it?" Callan's voice was thoughtful.

"Yeah. I'll take the job, but only on a trail basis, just to see how things go."

Callan's chest swelled, he knew the boy had a good head on his shoulders. He had faith Noah would make good decisions when the time came. "I'm proud of you, Son."

Noah blinked then smiled. His father very rarely gave him praise. "Thanks, Dad." In a very uncharacteristic move for both of them Callan pulled the boy into his arms, it was brief but meaningful. When they released Callan decided it was time to go, he turned towards the door but was stopped by Noah's voice.

"I'll see you later, Sir."

Callan smiled and saluted his son before walking back out the way he'd entered.

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><p><strong>AN: Aww, _I_ want a hug from Callan...**

**This chapter is dedicated to Calypso's Hand for hitting the nail on the head. Thank you, dear. They are quite the yummy pair, I agree.**


	4. I Knew You'd Come

**Man Of Action owns Generator Rex, I don't claim any rights and make no money from this.**

**A/N: This is a return to my regular timeline. In other words it takes place after my chapter "Respected". This also takes place right after the episode _Rampage_ and heavily mentions events that took place in it. This chapter also mentions things that happened in the episode _Payback_.  
>So, spoilers all around. Not only for those episodes but also if you know what episode those two are than you should also know what this story is going to be about. Oh well.<strong>

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><p><strong>I Knew You'd Come<strong>

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><p>Rex had just taken all of his stuff back to Providence Base after being temporarily displaced by the damage done in Van Kleiss' attack a few months ago. Noah was only partially sad to see his friend go, he also knew if they spent much more "quality time together" cooped up in this house they'd be ripping each others heads off. And that wouldn't have bode well for him in particular.<p>

Noah stood waiting for his father to arrive. This time he knew he was coming long before he'd step through the front door.

The departure of his temporary house guest wasn't the reason Noah knew he'd soon be seeing Captain Callan again. No, it was because of what happened earlier that evening. Van Kleiss had turned Noah into a rampaging monster.

He paced the dingy, brown carpet of the living room, his thoughts a mess. When the front door opened, it caught the young man off guard, he'd been so distracted he hadn't even heard the jeep pull up.

"Noah," Callan said tensely, staring at his son who had frozen in place before him. Noah just stared at the Captain in wide-eyed silence. "How are you?" It was a stupid question on Callan's part in light of what had happened.

"Rex cured me, so I'm better," was the young man's equally brilliant response.

Callan nodded.

"What was it like for you?" Noah took a step closer. "I mean when you were turned into an EVO?"

In the attack that'd partially destroyed Headquarters Van Kleiss had also taken over the Keep, where he'd put his mark on Callan as well. This family had seen all of the members turned EVO at one time or another and the irony was not lost on either man.

Callan hadn't been expecting the question and he nervously ran his fingers through his cropped, blond hair. "I don't remember much, just an overwhelming rage. Frankly, I try to forget it as much as possible. How 'bout you?"

Noah shrugged. "I got lucky. I felt like I was having fun." His eyes went down to the floor. "Then I saw all of the destruction I caused."

Callan put a large hand on his arm. "You had no control, Son. It's not your fault."

The boy nodded. "I know."

The soldier analyzed the expression on his son's face for a minute. "But what's really botherin' you?" he asked, giving the shoulder under his hand a squeeze.

Noah hadn't been frightened right after it happened, mostly because he couldn't remember all that had taken place, but once he'd gotten home it'd all sunk in. Noah looked up at his father again. "They told me it was almost permanent," his voice choked out.

Callan could see the fear in his son's face. He pulled him quickly to his chest.

Noah hated looking weak in his father's eyes but he couldn't stop the hot tears from pouring down his cheeks. He cried silently as his father gripped him almost too tightly. It was as if Callan was trying to squeeze the pain right out of him.

When his wife had turned Callan had been devastated to a degree no less than Noah had. He'd watched his son deal with things no kid should ever have to deal with. Now what he wanted most in this world was to protect his son from such atrocities. He had that goal firmly rooted every day when he went to work. It wasn't only physical protection he craved for his son. He also never wanted to see that agony of loss and fear on Noah's face again. Despite his best efforts here they were one more time, facing the demons that clouded both their pasts.

Callan let go to cup his son's face in his hands. "I happened to be with Dr. Holiday when she was talking to Rex as he was chasing you. When he reported that he'd tried but you were incurable, I almost died. I was so sure I lost you, boy." Callan didn't realize he'd begun to cry. "A second later she said his inability to change you it may have been due to his fatigue. I was hanging on pins and needles. Then Rex got to you in time..." he cut off, his tears finally choking his speech.

Noah wound his arms around his father's torso again as his father held his back. They stood for a minute more giving each other much needed comfort.

"I can't lose you too, Son," the Captain whispered into the younger man's hair. They broke apart but were unwilling to leave the other completely. They moved to sit on the couch.

"Do you think Mom knew what was happening to her?" Noah asked tentatively after a few minutes of silence.

Callan thought seriously on that. "Don't think so. We were different in that our change was by Van Kleiss, but no, her change was sudden."

Noah had never asked what happened that day, whether his dad had been home or not, or what had actually happened to his mother. He'd sometimes suspected his father had shot her. Even now he was afraid to ask. On brighter days he dreamed that she had run away and was living out there somewhere, happy in blissful ignorance of her past life. He knew it was a romantic fantasy but sometimes he couldn't help himself.

His eyes drifted to the framed photo sitting on the end table, the same picture Rex had asked about not that long ago. He really was surprised that more people hadn't made the connection between himself and the Captain. White Knight is _not_ that imaginative, he only asked Noah to work for him because he'd been readily available, familiar to the head of Providence.

Noah shrugged, he supposed people only saw what they expected to see. In this line of work families are not always an asset. He knew that better than most.

"Are you coming to Base tomorrow?" Callan asked, breaking into Noah's musings.

The boy nodded. "Yeah," he smiled crookedly.

Callan smiled back at him."Good. I may see you." He slapped his son on the knee and stood. Noah followed him to the door, and when they reached it Callan turned and cupped his son's neck in one of his large hands. "I'm thankful your still here with me. I may not say it often but I love you, Son." Noah's eyes misted at his father's sincerity. The older man nodded again then headed out.

When the door closed behind the soldier Noah placed a hand on it, leaning against the cool surface. He had no idea when this day started that it would go anything like this. True, it wasn't his best day, but everything came out alright in the end. He knew one of these days they'd push their luck too far, but he didn't want to think about it.

They would face whatever came their way with the same grit and determination they always had. They were together and alive, for now that was all that mattered. Even with everything dark Noah had seen in his life he was still optimistic about the future. That was due on the most part to Rex, but also his father.

When Callan had been turned into an EVO it had happened so fast and in the midst of a battle so Noah hadn't had much time to let it sink in. He didn't know what he'd do if really faced with the loss of both his parents.

He shivered which had nothing to to with the balmy weather. He shook his head, he was being morbid. He needed to lighten up. He went to his room and got ready for bed.

With his shirt off he stood in front of the mirror for several minutes. His hand came up to touch his chest where Van Kleiss' mark used to be. It was no longer visible, nor could he even feel it, but the memory of it lingered. He tried to imagine himself as the beast, he'd seen the video footage but it didn't feel like himself.

Finally he sighed and crawled into bed, wondering if he'd even be able to sleep. Before he knew it he was snoring.

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><p><strong>AN: What do you think, did Noah's mother run away to "frolic in the fields" or do you think she's dead? Another option that may not have occurred to Noah is; what if Providence has her? Things to think about.<strong>


	5. Holiday's Suspicion

**Man Of Action owns Generator Rex, I don't claim any rights and make no money from this.**

**A/N: I don't think this has spoilers for any particular episode, maybe **_**Lockdown**_**. I had this chapter mostly written when I thought of the last one. But of course internet issues plagued me so I couldn't post it until now. *sigh***

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><p><strong>Holiday's Suspicion<br>**

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><p>It was a late afternoon and Dr. Holiday was working alone in her lab. It had been a relatively quiet day and most of the staff had taken off early for the evening.<p>

She only looked up from Rex's latest nanite readings when the doors swished open. She was surprised to see Rex standing in the entryway supporting a limping and bleeding Noah.

"This isn't necessary," the blond protested even as he winced.

Rex pulled him further into the room. "Yes it is. You're bleeding all over the place," he scolded.

Holiday rushed to their sides and helped Rex sit Noah on one of the exam tables. "What happened?" While there was a small amount of reproach in that business-like statement, it was also laced with genuine concern.

"Well Doc, it's like this..." Rex started, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Rex." The sharp statement came from the still open doorway. Agent Six stood there looking impatient (though it was hard to tell with Six).

"Right, I gotta..." he pointed his thumb towards the door. "Noah?" the boy asked, looking uncertain.

Noah smiled. "Go ahead. I think I'll live."

Rex held out his fist and and his friend tapped it with his own. "Of course you will, you have the _amazing_ Dr. Holiday looking after you."

Six coughed from the doorway and Rex again glanced at his aggro-nanny. He shot the doctor and her patient another grin. "Later," with that he disappeared out the door to follow Six.

Holiday tried to examine the wound on Noah's thigh but his clothes kept getting in the way. "Okay, I'm going to need you to take off your pants."

Noah's mouth flew open and his face started resembling the color of the blood he was spilling everywhere. "Wha... what?" he exclaimed as he he tried to scoot further back on the table, away from the doctor.

"Either you take them off or I remove them." To illustrate her point she picked up a scalpel from the tray next to her. His eyes widened further and his face paled but he unbuckled his belt and moved to stand. She steadied his arm as he slipped the cargo pants down. "Don't worry," she tried to calm his nerves, "I'm a doctor. Besides, you're a little too young for me."

"Rex wouldn't like hearing that," he mumbled as she helped him back onto the table.

She hid her smile as she bent over to get a better look at his wounds. There was a large mark on his thigh that resembled a black burn with a clean slice down the middle. Her eyebrows rose then quickly crashed together in a frown. "This was done by a laser." She looked up a at the boy. "What were you and Rex doing?" anger and disappointment filled her tone. Could they have been so stupid to have been playing with weapons?

"Um..." he started to answer, unsure of what to say in the face of her obvious wrath.

"Sorry, Doc. It's my fault," said a voice behind her.

Doctor Holiday spun to see Captain Callan standing at the door. "Captain?" she asked, confused now as to what was going on.

The tall soldier came forward and she turned back to her patient, needing to continue her task. She noticed Noah stiffen, sitting up a little straighter.

Callan continued his explanation as he watched her work. "I was doing a brief weapons training and the boys came to watch."

"It was my fault, sir," Noah hastily interrupted. "We should have let you know we were standing there."

Callan held up his hand for silence. "No, son. I'm the trained soldier here. I should've checked my surroundings better. It was entirely my fault." He clapped a hand on the boy's shoulder.

If Holiday hadn't looked up at the two of them at that moment she would've missed the looks that quickly passed between them. Noah had an expression of sadness and regret, Callan squeezed his shoulder and smiled at him with a little nod, Noah then brightened and returned the smile.

What struck her throughout the whole exchange was the look of pride she saw on Callan's face. She'd never known him to be overly gregarious towards his men, in fact she'd always perceived him to be a bit of a hard-nose. Also, she didn't think he even knew Noah that well. It was perplexing.

She felt as if she'd intruded on something personal when she watched these two, she quickly looked down at her work. She'd administered an anesthetic and was halfway through stitching Noah's leg when Callan decided to take his leave. He bid them farewell but she barely registered the words, only giving him a weak nod. It didn't take her much longer to stitch and bandage the boy's leg.

"Stay right here. You'll need some other pants." She found him a pair of scrub pants, they didn't fit great but they were something he could wear to get home in at least. "Now, your leg will be sore for a little while," she said as she helped him stand. "If the pain gets too bad let me know and I can get you something. Also, I'd like it if you didn't walk on that leg for the next twenty-four hours."

"But how..." he was about to ask when she thrust a pair of crutches in his direction. "Oh." He tried them out experimentally. "Thank you, Dr Holiday."

She nodded and gave him a warm smile. "Just try to get out of the way next time."

He smiled and turned to go. As the blond boy hobbled out of her office Holiday's thoughts strayed back to pondering his association to Callan.

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><p>Over the next few days she tried to observe the two as they interacted, but the opportunity never came. She'd not payed attention in the past but now it occurred to her that they were rarely in the same place at the same time. That made that brief glimpse at Callan's behavior towards Noah all the more peculiar to her.<p>

This issue didn't leave her head, though she didn't let it affect her work it still pervaded her thoughts. Puzzles fascinated her, that's one of the things that made her such a good scientist. She weighed all the different options for the two's relationship. Occasionally wild thoughts caught her; such as, she wondered if they were secretly lovers. Of course neither seemed the type, though these days it was getting harder and harder to tell.

A week had gone by and she decided she needed something more concrete to go on. She decided to consult their personnel files for clues into the two of them. Because she was the top scientist of Providence, and also the head physician, she could gain access to the restricted files. Frustratingly, as she scanned though them there seemed to be very little about either man's personal lives, as if it were purposely left out of the records.

She was pouring over Captain Callan's file again when Agent Six materialized at her shoulder. "What are you doing, Doctor?"

She nearly jumped out of her skin. "Six!" She clutched her chest and would've sworn at him if she'd had the breath for it (and hadn't been at work). "What are you doing here?" she asked trying to distract him from his question.

It didn't work. "Why are you studying Captain Callan's file? Is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing is wrong." She wondered if that sounded too hastily answered.

Six leaned over her shoulder and tabbed to the next screen. She stamped down the blush which threatened to rise at being caught, when the next screen was Noah's file. Six stood up straight and slipped a hand into his pocket. "Callan and Noah."

She couldn't tell if that was a question or simply an observation. "Yeah," she closed the files, "just a theory I was pondering." She stood to go, uncomfortable with the situation.

"Doctor," Six stopped her, "I don't think they'd appreciate you prying into their lives."

She turned slowly and nodded to the stoic agent. "I never said anything about prying, and I'm affronted you'd think that. But I will take your concerns under advisement," and with that she turned and left before he could rebut.

She fumed as she walked to her personal quarters. Darn that Six! Of course he caught her, that just made everything perfect. She slammed her code into the keypad and entered her apartment. She slipped out of her lab jacket and heels, sighing subconsciously at how nice it felt. She paced back and forth in her room, she knew she was close to a solution, she could feel it.

Holiday was thinking hard when suddenly the similarities between the two hit her. Besides their obvious traits of blond hair and blue eyes there were other things. Callan had a way of arching his brow when he was skeptical, she'd seen that exact same expression on Noah only a few days before.

She quickly went to her personal computer and reopened their two files. It listed Callan as a widower in his marital status, and likewise in Noah's file it listed his mother as deceased. There were no further details to go on. Whereas that was nowhere near _concrete_ proof it was enough to send her train of thought down a new track.

She wondered why this hadn't occurred to her before. Father and son.

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><p>She stewed about it for days, itching to talk to either one of them, though not exactly sure how to bring it up. This was obviously not something they wanted spread around, for whatever reasons. It was a delicate topic at best.<p>

When Friday rolled around she still hadn't had a chance. She only brightened when she realized it was the day she would take out Noah's stitches.

She was relieved to see the towhead come into the office alone, it would've been much more awkward if Rex were there. Noah had wisely worn shorts for this visit and she smiled inwardly at his prudishness. She got out her suture scissors and put on a pair of exam gloves as he hopped up on the table.

"So Doc, will I have a cool scar to tell all my friends about?" he asked, trying to relieve his tension.

She smiled. "There might be a little residual scarring but for the most part you'll heal. Sorry."

He chuckled and she began taking out the sutures one by one, he only winced a little. "So, Noah," she started in trepidation. "I was wondering something."

"Yeah?"

"Do you take after your father in looks?"

He looked at her in surprise and confusion. "Is that a backhanded pass, or are you interested in dating my dad?"

Her eyes flew wide. "No, no, nothing like that. I was just wondering who you looked more like."

He paused for a second then shrugged. "Oh. My dad, I guess."

She smirked slightly and drew up the courage to ask her next question. "How is it that you have a Philadelphia accent whereas he's from the South?"

Noah smiled. "Well, Mom was from Philly and because Dad traveled..." he choked off, realizing what he'd said.

She smiled at him, and dropped her voice low. "Captain Callan is your father, isn't he?"

"How did you know?" he whispered looking into her eyes.

"I wasn't sure but I suspected as much. Taking into account both of your behaviors when he came to see you in here a couple weeks ago." She had one more question that pressed on her. "Does Rex know?"

Noah shook his head. "Please don't tell him, or anyone else for that matter."

She put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "This is your secret. I wouldn't dream of telling anyone."

"Thanks. Only a few others know about us. White obviously, and Six, but that's all I know of. And now you, of course." He smiled dryly.

_'Six,' _she thought,_ 'I'll have to talk to him later about sharing.'_ She focused again on the boy before her. "Why all the secrecy?"

"At first it was to protect my identity, then it was to protect the Captain."

"How so?"

"Well, I was more visible as Rex's friend and to connect us together would've been dangerous."

She nodded her understanding. "But why not tell Rex?"

Noah chuckled. "Can you imagine if he found out that I have exclusive access to the Captain of the Keep? It would be endless rides – mostly for burritos."

Holiday laughed and he joined her. He grew serious again. "_Now_ it may be too late to tell him. You saw how he reacted to finding out about my connection to White. Can you imagine what he'd say if I told him he'd met my dad and has known him longer than he's known me?"

She frowned but nodded her agreement at the hard predicament he found himself in. "Alright, all fixed up," she said warmly, motioning to his leg. "You won't have to come see me again, at least, not until you get hurt again," she said with a twinkle in her eye.

He smiled back and nodded. "Thanks, Doc." He was walking towards the door when he turned back to look at her. "You know, I'd be okay if you _did_ want to date my dad," he grinned then dashed out the door.

She felt her face flame red but she chuckled, shaking her head.

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><p><strong>AN: This chapter was a mess. It was was the most poorly written thing I've ever written poorly. I had to do a serious rewrite to be even a little satisfied with it. This is the much improved version, so if you still don't like it just think how bad it was before. XD**


	6. Uncertainty: Hurt

**Man Of Action owns Generator Rex, I don't claim any rights and make no money from this.**

**A/N: I wrote this about the same time I wrote the other parts but got caught up in other projects so it was forgotten. This takes place right after the last chapter so obviously doesn't apply to the current seasons. Slight spoilers for _Payback_ and _Without A Paddle_. This chapter and the next are the last that I had in mind for this series of shorts.**

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><p><strong>Uncertainty: Hurt<strong>

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><p>Agent Six walked down the main hallway of Providence Base. Since Van Kliess' attack, and partial destruction of the facility, repairs were going slow. He had yet to be assigned a new room. Not that he minded, he didn't have many possessions and it had never mattered to him where he slept.<p>

The doors swished open to the ops deck. He descended the stairs coming up behind Dr. Holiday. "What's the status of the mission." She only flinched slightly at his sudden appearance. He didn't know if he should be proud of her fortitude or worried that his affect on people might be slipping.

"No sightings yet. The Keep reached its destination just about five minutes ago."

Six turned his eyes to the screens to watch the incoming feed, fed from Captain Callan's helmet-cam. They had gotten report of a mid-level EVO that was terrorizing a remote town in Canada. It didn't sound like anything to be particularly concerned about, but Providence had been called and Callan and his troops had been deployed.

The teem was on the ground now and making their way to one of the last reported locations of the creature. It was a densely wooded area so the going was slow.

"We're comin' up to a clearing," Callan's voice crackled over the receiver.

Suddenly there was a flurry of movement and shouts from the men. Callan's voice could be heard as he yelled out orders. There was a deafening roar then the feed went out.

"What happened?" Six asked, an edge to his voice. Besides wishing he would've gone, he was also worried about Callan, who was one of his oldest friends.

"Don't know, sir. We were cut off," one of the technicians said as he punched a few more buttons.

"Well, get them back!" The agent's fists clenched tensely at his sides.

There was static for several long minutes when suddenly things came to life again. "Hello, Base? Are you there?" an unfamiliar soldier to Six appeared in the restored video.

"We're here. Identify yourself," Dr. Holiday commanded, obviously she didn't recognize her either.

"This is Lieutenant Marshal, ma'am."

"Where is the captain?" the doctor asked, worry seeping into her tone.

The field camera was swung around and trained on a huddle of men. The captain lay, bloody and unconscious, as some of the troops carried him back to the Keep.

"What happened?" Six barked.

"Well," the woman began but Dr. Holiday cut her off.

"Enough time for debriefing when you get back. Right now I need you to tell me about his injuries so we can prep for your return."

Six's mind was already on other things and heard very little of the rest of their conversation. He turned and swiftly headed towards the door when Holiday's voice stopped him.

"Where are you going?" She looked at him with question and worry in her eyes.

"I have to go get someone."

Realization hit her and she nodded. He tipped his head to her and was out the door in a flash. He was relieved it was a school day so the two boys wouldn't be together, he didn't really want to do this in front of Rex. "The Cure" would have enough questions later.

* * *

><p>As Six walked the halls of Benjamin Franklin High School he knew he had to see the Principle first. The last time he took a student without warning it caused an uproar that wasn't worth the paperwork. Once he was there he was pleased that it only took a second to get the official to comply and they waited in the cluttered office as Noah was called out of classes.<p>

Noah had a nervous look to him when he stepped into the room and he immediately started babbling. "I don't know what you heard, sir, but I had nothing to do with the Kool-Aid in the toilets."

The Principle stood to greet the blond. "Never mind that, boy," he said, preoccupied. "That's not why we've called you here."

"We?" Noah looked around finally spotting Agent Six standing by the door. He was surprised to say the least. "Hey Six, what are you doing here?"

Six stepped further into the room. "There's been an incident," he said slowly.

Noah paled. "Is Rex alright?" He turned to face the green-clad man more fully.

"Rex is fine, he's on assignment in town."

"Than what..." Noah's question trailed off as his blue eyes widened. "No," he murmured.

"The Keep should be returning to Base soon. You need to be there when it does." The young man nodded and followed Six out of the office.

As soon as they were at the door the principle jumped to his feet. "What was that about Kool-Aid in the toilets?!"

Noah picked up his pace to the jump jet.

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><p>Dr. Holiday had everything prepared when Captain Callan was unloaded. She was concerned for the fact he'd lost a lot of blood and hadn't regained consciousness. She was shouting orders and checking his vitals for herself as they ran from the docking bay to infirmary.<p>

She only paused when they came to the door to the surgical wing. Noah was standing there looking terrified as they wheeled his father past. Holiday rested her warm hand on the young man's shoulder to get him to look at her. "I will do everything in my power to help the captain."

The young man was still unable to form words so Six thanked her for him. With a nod to Six she was off again.

This was the part of the job Six hated most. For the majority of the time he worked the front lines, away from the faces of the family's that had to deal with the day to day of the EVO situation. Not that he was callous or unfeeling towards it all, just the opposite. He was never good with showing emotion, much less dealing with someone else's.

He led Noah to a waiting room and the boy sank silently into one of the chairs. Six knew Noah shouldn't be left alone but he wanted to debrief the solderers and get after whatever had done this. "Do you want anything?" he finally asked. He was surprised when Noah chuckled darkly.

"I want the captain to be okay." He glanced up at the agent. "What happened?"

"They were on a scout and retrieval mission to an area with a reported hostile EVO. It wasn't supposed to be very strong. They were attacked, I don't know much more."

Noah nodded, "Go. Debrief the crew and let me know." Six didn't move so the boy looked up at him. "I'll be alright, better if I know you are handling things."

Six nodded at the surety in the young man's voice and he was out the door in a flash. As the green-clad warrior went to find the Keep's crew he marveled at Noah's poise. He supposed with a past like Noah's you'd learn to take things as they came. He could relate.

Noah felt like he couldn't breath. He'd always known the hazards of his father's work, heck, they'd both been turned into monsters at alternate times, but it had been some time since he'd been concerned about loosing him. With all of the technology and weaponry that were available to Providence it seemed like nothing could touch them.

When the going got rough they called in Rex or fired aerial weapons from great distances. Sometimes the captain came home bruised or cut but he would laugh it off as his his own fault for being clumsy. Noah knew his father didn't want him to worry unduly, but now he wondered how much the captain was actually hiding from him.

* * *

><p>It seemed like it was days to Noah as he sat alone, staring at nothing. He heard voices in the hall off and on but thankfully no one bothered him. He morbidly wondered what would happen to him if his father died. This wasn't the first time his mind had gone down this road but now it was crisply in vision.<p>

He wondered if he would get to keep the house. Would Providence take care of him? He didn't want to think about these things but he couldn't help himself.

He knew he should be concerned about the captain but his thoughts turned to himself. He waffled between wanting to talk to someone else and wanting to be left alone. He knew if he thought about funeral services he just might break down. Underneath his care-free demeanor hid a fragile kid standing in an itchy black suit staring at a stone with his mother's name on it.

Two agonizing hours after he left, Agent Six returned.

Noah glanced up when the green ninja didn't come much further than inside the door. "So, what happened?" he asked knowing Six wasn't going to initiate.

Six walked over and sat on the flimsy coffee table in front of the younger man. "They had barely made it out of the Keep and were making their way through some dense cover. The captain took point, then they were ambushed by the EVO. Two men were killed outright. Your father pulled one of the injured back towards the Keep, all while maintaining cover fire for the others. They never saw the second attack coming. The captain fought back but was no match."

Noah sat in silence, absorbing what he'd heard. "How is he now?"

Six shook his head, Holiday hadn't reemerged so it was fair to say they were still in surgery. They both didn't know if that was a good sign or a bad one.

"What does Rex know?"

Six stood and walked to the one-way window. "He knows that there were injuries on the Keep and that Callan was one of them. He doesn't know you're here."

Noah looked at the floor again. "What time is it?"

"Two twenty-four."

The blond shut his eyes, it was approaching the time school would be getting out. Rex would be looking for him soon.

"Do you want me to tell him you are unavailable?" Six asked.

Noah had to admit that was tempting but he shook his head after a minute. "No. I'll have to face this sometime." If he said nothing there would still be a chance that Rex would find out and that would be even worse.

"If he asks I'll direct him this way."

Noah nodded and the agent left him alone again. The young man knew Six's ways of dealing with strong emotions were to avoid, or to hit something until it bled. He was glad he'd chosen the former in this instance.

Noah wasn't sure how long it was before the door to the room opened again. He expected Six, and hoped for Holiday, but was mildly surprised when his best friend strode in.

"Here you are. Why are you hanging out in here?" Rex was confused, Six had told him where Noah was but not why he was here. He hadn't been worried and had dawdled on his way, but now that he saw the state of his friend he wished he'd come directly. "What's wrong?"

Noah forced on a smile. "Hey, Rex. Have a seat, I've got something to tell you."

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><p><strong>AN: Coming down to the end of my shorts series but as always tell me what you think.**


	7. Uncertainty: Healing

**Man Of Action owns Generator Rex, I don't claim any rights and make no money from this.**

**A/N: Here it is, the second part of Uncertainty and the last planned part of The Ties That Bind.**

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><p><strong>Uncertainty: Healing<strong>

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><p>Callan lay on his back looking at the ceiling. He wished he could get out of his bed but two things were stopping him. One: he really was in too much pain to move, and two: Dr. Holiday was hovering nearby. He may not see her at the moment but he knew she was monitoring him closely.<p>

If he were to admit the truth, she scared him a bit. She was unlike any other woman he'd ever met. Beautiful, brilliant, but deadly when she needed to be. He also knew he owed her his life.

He didn't remember much about what happened on his last mission. He'd seen the report and heard Six's (brief) account of what happened. He supposed he should be grateful he didn't remember the pain. He was in enough of that now and he knew it must have been ten times worse. It was hard to fathom.

One thing that pinged his heart was the thought of Noah waiting in uncertainty while he was in surgery all those hours. He had called for his son as soon as he'd regained consciousness. At that time he'd seen the strain and sadness on Noah's face, it had eased somewhat over the last few weeks but it was still there. Now he was beginning to suspect there was something else bothering the boy.

"How are you this morning?" Dr. Holiday's bright voice warmed him.

He put on a brilliant smile and turned his head in her direction. "Better now. I think I'll be able to go three rounds with an EVO by tomorrow."

She laughed and shook her head. "Well, maybe not _tomorrow_, but soon." She looked at his bio readings and made a few short notes on his chart. She helped him sit up. "Did you eat this morning?"

He shook his head no and she was about to ask him what he wanted when the door opened. She glanced back to see Noah enter. She smiled at the two blonds then took her leave.

"Noah, what are you doing here so early?" Callan asked as he smiled at his son.

The young man shrugged. "I was out for a walk doing some thinking and Six came along. He gave me a ride."

Callan nodded. "Does Rex know you're here?" The captain noticed his son flinch ever so slightly.

"I don't know," he mumbled.

Callan watched him for some time. "Come on son, what's botherin' you?" Noah sighed but didn't meet his father's eyes. "Don't make me get out of this bed," he said with a smirk.

A smile twitched on Noah's lips but it quickly died and he glanced at the invalid. "I messed up with Rex." His words were almost a whisper, it pained him to say the words out loud, as if it made them more real.

"In what way?" Callan frowned.

"He hadn't gotten over the fact that we'd met because of White, now..." his voice trailed off.

"What happened?"

"It was this thing with you. It forced me to reveal _our_ relationship. He didn't take me lying to him again very well. Not that I blame him." Noah hung his head.

Callan pondered his son's words. "Are you two speaking?"

Noah shook his head. "Not really. He lets me say hi to him when I see him in the halls, but not much more." He closed his eyes and tilted his head back. "Thing is he's not being hostile to me. I almost wish he'd smack me around and get it out of his system."

Callan allowed himself a small smile. "Give it time. You two are as close as whiskers on a catfish. He'll come around."

Noah sighed and nodded, but didn't comment.

Holiday came back carrying a tray of breakfast items. "I didn't know what you wanted so I got a little of everything," she smiled.

"Have you eaten?" Callan asked the boy.

"Nah, I figured I'd grab something later."

"Nonsense," Holiday piped, "There's plenty here for both of you." She set the tray down before leaving them alone again.

Noah looked at his father who nodded for him to stay. "Alright." They both picked what they wanted and settled in to eat.

Callan watched his son off and on throughout the meal. Though Noah put on a good face Callan could read the tension in him. He knew he'd have to do something about this.

* * *

><p>After physical therapy and a short nap he summoned Rex, he enlisted Six's help to get the boy to him. Finally the doors swished open and Six came in with his iron grip on Rex's shoulder.<p>

Rex looked less than happy and a bit confused. Six gave the boy a final shove and he stumbled forward, for which he shot a glare back to his agro-nanny before facing Callan. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Sit, please." Callan nodded to Six and he returned it before leaving.

Rex sat slowly on a chair near the bed. Callan watched the boy for a minute, all the while Rex was growing more nervous.

No reason not to cut to the chase. "You need to get over whatever bee crawled up your butt and forgive Noah."

Rex's eyes nearly popped out of his head at Callan's blunt statement. "What?" he stumbled out.

"It's not solely the boy's fault that he kept things from you. You are hopefully intelligent enough to understand that. He didn't want to. Even from the beginning he wanted to tell you everything." Callan watched Rex's face darken. "Go ahead son, say what's on your mind. I won't take offense."

Rex pushed himself out of the chair angrily and started pacing at the end of the bed. "He lied to me! Twice! Just when I'd started to trust him again, and I felt like I knew him, he throws me for a loop. I'm beginning to think all of Providence is laughing at me behind my back," he said sourly.

Callan shook his head with a sigh. "Only a select few know the whole truth about Noah and me."

Rex eyed him. "Who?"

"White, Six, and Dr. Holiday – who guessed only very recently. That's it."

Rex froze as he thought. His shoulders slumped and he sank back into the chair. "Is there anything else he's hiding from me?"

The captain pursed his lips, he honestly didn't know what his son had told the boy. "Have you asked him that?" Rex shook his head that he hadn't. "Than I suggest you do so, son."

The young man looked dubious but Callan knew he'd find Noah as soon as he was done here. Callan smiled knowingly. "You two are too good of friends to let something like this stand between you." His smile slipped. "I should know how secrets affect a friendship."

Rex looked at him, surprised and curious but didn't ask.

"Now, get out of here. I have to recuperate." He laced his fingers behind his head and closed his eyes.

"Yes, sir." Rex chuckled but was out the door in a minute.

"Do you really believe secrets harm friendships?"

Callan cracked his eyes to see Six emerge from a nearby shadow. The convalescing man sighed. "I used to. I was bugged I didn't know even your name. I really didn't know anything about you. It used to stick in my craw somethin' fierce."

"Used to?" Six parroted back.

Callan chuckled. "I eventually realized _no_ _one_ knew anything about you, but you chose to hang out with me."

"You were less annoying than most."

Callan burst out laughing, which petered off into a groan as he grabbed his ribs. "Ah, Six. We sure have seen a lot in our day."

"I'm glad you're still around to see even more." Six rested a hand on the other man's shoulder. Callan looked up at the dark glasses that held back the fierce man's gaze. Six nodded once and was out the door in pursuit of Rex.

Callan relaxed his head back on his pillows and drifted to sleep with a smile.

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><p><strong>AN: Well, here is the end of The Ties That Bind. I hadn't planned any more parts to this but if the inspiration strikes I'll add it on. I hope you enjoyed my musings into two of my favorite characters. I have enjoyed it. Thank you for reading and reviewing!**


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